Deuteronomy 26 5

Deuteronomy 26:5 kjv

And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous:

Deuteronomy 26:5 nkjv

And you shall answer and say before the LORD your God: 'My father was a Syrian, about to perish, and he went down to Egypt and dwelt there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous.

Deuteronomy 26:5 niv

Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: "My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous.

Deuteronomy 26:5 esv

"And you shall make response before the LORD your God, 'A wandering Aramean was my father. And he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous.

Deuteronomy 26:5 nlt

"You must then say in the presence of the LORD your God, 'My ancestor Jacob was a wandering Aramean who went to live as a foreigner in Egypt. His family arrived few in number, but in Egypt they became a large and mighty nation.

Deuteronomy 26 verses

Deuteronomy 26 5 Meaning

Deuteronomy 26:5 records the core declaration a Israelite was to make before the LORD when presenting the firstfruits of their harvest in the Promised Land. This confession is a concise historical summary of Israel's humble beginnings, identifying their ancestor as a "wandering/perishing Aramean," and recounting God's miraculous intervention that transformed a small, vulnerable family into a great, mighty nation delivered from oppression and brought into a land of blessing. It encapsulates their reliance on God's covenant faithfulness and redemptive power, fostering humility and gratitude.

Deuteronomy 26 5 Context

Deuteronomy 26 is situated within Moses' final speeches to the Israelites on the plains of Moab, just before they enter the Promised Land. The chapter deals with the procedures for presenting the firstfruits of the land (vv. 1-11) and the tithes of the third year (vv. 12-15). This specific verse (26:5) forms the crucial declaration required during the firstfruits offering. The Israelite bringing the offering was not merely to hand it over but to orally confess their national history, acknowledging God's redemptive work from their humble, vulnerable origins. This practice served to instill humility and gratitude, countering any potential pride in their newfound prosperity in the land, reminding them that the land and its blessings were gifts from God, not achievements of their own power.

Deuteronomy 26 5 Word analysis

• And you shall declare (וְעָנִיתָ, v'anita):
  • Literally, "and you shall answer/respond/recite."
  • Significance: This is not a mere statement but a solemn, liturgical declaration or recitation in response to God's gracious gift of the land and its bounty. It transforms the act of offering into an act of worship and remembering. It underscores that gratitude requires verbal articulation of remembrance.
• before the LORD your God (לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, lifnei YHWH Eloheikha):
  • "Before the face of Yahweh your God."
  • Significance: Emphasizes the personal and covenantal relationship between God and His people. The confession is made in His immediate, holy presence at the tabernacle/temple, signifying accountability and intimacy. It highlights that the historical narrative is a testimony directed to God Himself.
• ‘My father (אָבִי, avi):
  • Refers to Jacob primarily, but contextually, it also encompasses Abraham, the patriarch through whom the promises were initiated and Israel's existence began. It's the progenitor of the nation.
• was a wandering Aramean’ (אֲרַמִּי אֹבֵד, arammi oved):
  • This is one of the most significant and debated phrases.
  • אֲרַמִּי (arammi): "An Aramean." Refers to the region of Paddan Aram where Jacob spent significant time (Gen 28-31) and found his wives. His mother Rebekah also hailed from this region. This links the Israelite identity to non-Canaanite, foreign origins, contrasting them with the people they displaced.
  • אֹבֵד (oved): The key word. It can mean:
    1. "Wandering/nomadic/lost/straying": This refers to Abraham's initial journeys as a sojourner (Gen 12) or Jacob's flight to Laban and subsequent wandering lifestyle before settling. It emphasizes their transient, unrooted existence.
    2. "Perishing/about to perish/destitute": This emphasizes a state of distress, near destruction, or severe hardship, highlighting the extreme vulnerability of the patriarchs. This meaning emphasizes God's rescue from a precarious existence, perhaps Abraham leaving a pagan land (Ur), or Jacob's flight and fear, or even the small number going to Egypt amidst famine. This view is supported by rabbinic tradition and modern scholars who see it as reflecting their initial desperation and dependency on God. It counters any sense of national achievement originating from human strength.
  • Both interpretations convey Israel's humble and vulnerable origins, underscoring that their existence and flourishing were solely due to God's providence, not their inherent strength or greatness. It also sets up a strong polemic against self-reliance or pride.
• and he went down into Egypt (וַיֵּרֶד מִצְרַיְמָה, vayered Mitzraymah):
  • Literally, "and he went down Egypt-ward."
  • Significance: A familiar motif in the patriarchal narratives (e.g., Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) usually associated with famine or trouble, and often leading to divine intervention. Jacob's descent was voluntary, due to famine (Gen 46), but initiated the period of enslavement.
• and sojourned there (וַיָּגָר שָׁם, vayagar sham):
  • Significance: Implies living as an alien or temporary resident. They did not possess land there; they were not citizens. This reinforces their vulnerable, non-permanent status and dependency on others, a common theme for Israel's patriarchs (Gen 23:4).
• with a few in number (בְּמֵתֵי מִסְפָּר, b'mitei mispar):
  • Literally, "in a few of number."
  • Significance: Starkly emphasizes the initial small, vulnerable family that entered Egypt (seventy people, Deut 10:22; Gen 46:27). This extreme paucity magnifies the miracle of their later multiplication.
• and there he became (וַיְהִי־שָׁם, vayihi-sham):
  • "And he was there/it came to pass there." Implies a transformation over time while in Egypt.
• a great nation (לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל, l'goy gadol):
  • Significance: A direct fulfillment of God's covenant promise to Abraham (Gen 12:2; 18:18), repeated to Isaac and Jacob. This phrase underlines God's faithfulness despite Israel's desperate initial state.
• mighty (עָצוּם, atzum):
  • Strong, powerful, referring to their strength and potential influence.
• and populous (וָרָב, v'rav):
  • Numerous, vast in multitude. Echoes Genesis 1:28; 9:1, 7; 17:6 where "be fruitful and multiply" is a divine blessing.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "My father was a wandering/perishing Aramean, and he went down into Egypt": This phrase grounds the Israelite's identity not in human strength or lineage, but in their humble, almost doomed origins, where only God's intervention could ensure survival and growth. It's a creedal statement confessing the foundational truth of their national history as an act of divine grace, a people rescued from insignificance and peril.
• "and sojourned there with a few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty, and populous": This emphasizes the dramatic, miraculous transformation solely by the hand of God. From a mere handful of sojourners, they blossomed into a formidable nation. This transformation demonstrates God's power to fulfill His promises irrespective of human limitations. It contrasts the vulnerability and temporary status in Egypt with the eventual might and multitude, attributing all the change to God's sovereign hand. It serves as a stark reminder against nationalistic pride rooted in self-achievement.

Deuteronomy 26 5 Bonus section

• Liturgical Function: This declaration is one of the earliest known credal formulas or historical creeds in Israelite tradition, predating formal systematic theology. It's a portable confession summarizing core beliefs about God and Israel's relationship to Him, serving to unify the people through shared history and shared dependence.
• Counter-Narrative: In the Ancient Near East, many nations constructed glorious, often divine-lineaged, founding myths. This Israelite confession explicitly provides a counter-narrative: a humble, struggling beginning where God is the sole agent of their national formation and prosperity, not their inherent strength or divine ancestry from a pantheon.
• Emphasis on Remembering: The entire context of Deuteronomy heavily emphasizes "remembering" what God has done. This verse embodies that principle through a practical, annual act of remembrance. It’s not just recalling facts, but reliving, in a sense, the formative events of their nation's salvation.

Deuteronomy 26 5 Commentary

Deuteronomy 26:5 serves as a foundational creedal statement, articulating the Israelite's national identity rooted in God's redemptive history rather than in their own accomplishments or mythical origins. By identifying their ancestor as a "wandering/perishing Aramean," the declaration forces the offerer to recall a period of profound vulnerability and utter dependence on divine providence. This deeply humble origin story prevents any misplaced pride in the fertile land they are about to inhabit.

The progression from a "few in number" sojourning in Egypt to becoming a "great, mighty, and populous nation" highlights the miraculous, supernatural nature of Israel's existence. It's a testament to YHWH's faithfulness to His covenant promises (to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) despite human weakness and even Egyptian oppression. This confession actively resists any inclination to ascribe blessing to Baal or other Canaanite deities (a significant polemic in Deuteronomy), firmly attributing all abundance and national flourishing to the one true God who acts in history. It mandates a grateful remembrance, ensuring that future generations understood their history as a continuous saga of divine grace and deliverance. This oral tradition reinforces their identity as a redeemed people, continuously indebted to their saving God.

• Practical usage: This verse models profound gratitude. When we acknowledge blessings (like harvest or provisions), it prompts us to remember our past vulnerability and how God delivered and multiplied us, both individually and corporately, emphasizing grace over self-sufficiency.